Apart At Christmas
by CrazyAboutJAG
Summary: first Christmas together and they're spending it apart


_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, but boy do I wish I did.**_

_This was really hard to write, but I hope you guys like it._

**One week before Christmas. London, England**

Mac stood at the window of her new house and watched the snow fall to the ground. It looked so peaceful outside. She held a mug of coffee with her arms folded across her chest. She looked down and saw the beautiful wedding ring on her finger and sighed. Harm was back in the United States trying to deal with Sturgis on a high profile case. She knew that he probably would not be coming home for Christmas.

She heard the phone ring. "Hello." She said into the phone.

"Hi, honey. How are you doing?" She heard Harm say.

"I'm a little lonely. This house is so empty without you." She said sounding extremely sad.

They sat there on the phone, but not speaking. It wasn't uncomfortable. They sat there for twenty-five minutes and forty-five seconds by Mac's count. "Honey, fly back here. And we can spend Christmas together. Our first Christmas together. Spending it apart doesn't sound very appealing, does it?"

Mac sighed again. "No it doesn't. But Harm right now we can't afford to fly me back from London to spend two days with you." Mac sat down on her large, brand new couch with the phone and her coffee. She sat for a few more minutes without speaking to Harm. "Harm, I have to go. I'll call you later."

"Okay. Think about flying out here next week for Christmas and New Years, please." He pleaded to her.

"I'll think about it, but I still think that we can't afford it."

"I know, but I believe that it will be worth it. And since you have to go, we'll talk later. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye."

"Bye." They hung up the phone. Mac set the phone down and went into her new kitchen to wash the dishes and make herself something to eat.

She really wanted to fly to the United States to see Harm for the holidays, but didn't believe that it would have been worth it for the price. On the other hand she could just get a one way ticket and fly back with Harm when he was done working on the case. Who knows how long he could be wheeling and dealing with Sturgis.

She decided to stay put for the holidays and hoped that maybe Harm could get a continuance and come home for Christmas. She sat down with her food at the kitchen table and ate alone in silence.

**Same day. Falls Church, Virginia**

Harm was sitting in the JAG headquarters conference room going over the case files when Sturgis walked in. "How's Mac?" He asked.

"Fine. She's quite upset that I won't be home for Christmas, but other than that she'll be fine." Harm replied.

"If we could reach an agreement then you could go home for Christmas and New Years and every other holiday after that." Sturgis said.

Harm looked at him and smiled. "You're the one that won't accept anything that I'm putting on the table, Sturgis."

The two men went back and forth trying to reach a compromise, but could not come up with one. It looked like there was not even a small chance of Harm getting home to his bride for Christmas and would not be giving her the New Years kiss at midnight New Years Eve.

**Four days before Christmas. London, England.**

Still alone Mac sat on her couch by herself. She heard the "ding" of an e-mail on her laptop. She opened it up and it read:

_Mac,_

_I wish that I was sitting on that couch next to you. Reading this e-mail with you. I miss the smell of your hair and the feel of you touch on my skin. This should be our first Christmas together as a couple and what makes it better, we're married. We both know that it probably won't happen with the one I'm up against. He won't budget on his no deal strategy. I'm sorry that I'm half way around the world. I don't want to be. I should be holding you in my arms until both of us fall asleep on the couch that took you three weeks to pick out. Gosh, I miss you. Well, I don't have much time so I'm going to have to cut this short. One last thing. I love you Sarah MacKenzie-Rabb. _

_Love you with all my heart,_

_Harm_

Mac read the e-mail over and over again memorizing the words that Harm had written her. She wanted him back more than anything in the world. This time of the year is suppose to be colorful and cheerful, but Mac wasn't seeing the lights and everything was a little grim in life. All she saw was a gray and cloudy sky.

It was getting late, so Mac shut the computer down and went upstairs to go to bed.

**Same day. Falls Church, Virginia**

Harm was getting back to his empty hotel room. He set his briefcase down and sat down at the desk. He pulled out his wallet and looked at a picture of Mac. Then he heard a knock at the door. Harm stood up to go and check who it was. It was Bud. Harm let him in. It had been so long since he had seen his old friend. "Hello, Bud."

"Hi, sir. How have you been?" Bud asked walking into the hotel room. He took his coat off and hug it on the hanger next to the door. "And how's the colonel?"

"I'm fine Bud. And _Mac_ is doing fine. Though we're both wishing that we could be together for Christmas. But she doesn't want to spend the money coming over here and I really don't have that option."

"Seems like you two have a problem, sir." Bud laughed, but Harm did not share in this laughter. "Sir, if I may? Get a continuance. Bend Commander Turner to deal with you. Beg." Bud stated like it was as simple as what he said. Harm couldn't believe that Bud had said this to him.

"Bud, it's not that simple. I've made every deal I can with Sturgis and I've already asked for a continuance and been denied." Harm sounded hopeless.

"Denied? It's Christmas and you want to spend time with your wife. That is enough reason to get a continuance." Bud was shocked. Though in the navy, career first.

"I know Bud, but this is a high profile case and they can't risk me leaving the country and doing something that could ruin the entire trial. They don't trust me as much ever since I fired a gun in the courtroom and that was ten years ago." Harm then laughed. Bud shared in his laughter. It was nice having his best friend back in the country. JAG just wasn't the same without Harm and Mac. Hopefully some day soon him, Harriet, and the kids would be able to fly to London and spend some much needed time with their old friends and their children could see their God-parents.

They spent over three hours in Harm's hotel room talking. Talking about everything. So much had changed since Harm and Mac left JAG. Sturgis had calmed down, until Harm came back to work this case. Coates had become better acquainted with General Creswell. The office was running smoothly. Two news lawyers had been assigned to replace Harm and Mac. Bud told him a little about them.

One of them was Lieutenant Commander Jordan Hall. She had a very large success rate with her cases and was a tough one to beat. Bud had to work a case with her a few weeks before and decided that he never wanted to work with her again. She was very demanding even though they were the same rank. The other was Major Thomas Bowen. He was much more laid back than the commander, but still a hard ass lawyer.

After Bud had left Harm's hotel room Harm heard the phone ring, so he picked it up. "Hello?"

"What address should I send the presents to?" Mac asked.

"None. Even though I can't be home for Christmas we're still opening presents together whenever I get home." Harm send sternly back to her. "I know that it's going to be a while before I can come home, but I'll call you every night before I get there."

"Harm, I just want to have a normal Christmas as our first together."

"And we will, as soon as I come home." Harm said trying to calm her.

They talked for a while and then Harm decided that it was late on his end and he had to be up early in the morning so it was time for him to go to bed. "I love you." he told her.

"I love you too. Bye" They and both hung up the phone. Mac stood with the phone in her hand while a tear came down her cheek and Harm laid in bed staring up at the ceiling, not able to sleep.

**Two day before Christmas. London, England**

Sadness had hit the Rabb household many days before, but this day, December 23, 2005, was incredibly worse. Mac walked around her house aimlessly for hours that day. She walked into the kitchen at about 8:00 p.m. that night and opened the cabinet above the refrigerator and saw a bottle of wine that Harm had brought home after their wedding. She stared at it for one minute and forty-five seconds. Then slammed the cabinet door closed and went upstairs to go to bed.

When she got upstairs she immediately picked up the phone and called Harm. She got his voicemail. "Harm, please call me back as soon as you get this. I really need to talk to you. I'm just a little lonely with no one to talk to here. I've enclosed myself in the house. Please just call me back. I love you. Bye." She said into the phone quickly so he didn't catch her choking back the tears that needed to fall until there weren't any left. She put the phone down and got into bed, although she knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep.

**Same day. Falls Church, Virginia**

Harm and Sturgis sat in the JAG headquarters conference room discussing the case and Harm was, once again, trying to deal with him, but, again, Sturgis wasn't budging. "Please Sturgis, my last offer. Four years confinement and a dishonorable discharge." Harm barely finished his sentence when he heard his phone ring. "Commander Rabb. Really? Yes, I understand completely." He hung up the phone. "Sturgis, I'll have to let you get back to me on that one." He said then ran out of the conference room.

**Christmas Day. London, England**

Mac was laying in bed staring at the ceiling like she had for a week and a half. She a heard a knock at the door so she got out of bed and walked downstairs to answer it. She turned the outside lights on then the foyer light. She opened the door. "Sorry, I lost my key. Merry Christmas, Mac." Mac hear her wonderful husband say right before she jerked him closer to her kissing him. Harm and Mac walked into the house and up the stairs and never lost contact with the other. But, before they could get any farther they both fell on the bed and decided that since they both were there, they might be able to get some sleep that night. It turned out to be their best Christmas ever.


End file.
